Kick The Training Wheels Off With These Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a bike for my child or myself?

Virtually all of our bikes are given away through a network of non-profits, community organizations, churches, and schools. We already work with about 150 of these organizations. The best way to get a bike is to contact one of these types of organizations in your neighborhood and ask if they are connected with FB4K. If not, ask them to consider getting involved with FB4K. Organizations can apply for bikes here.

How do I donate a bike?

Bikes can be dropped off on Saturday, October 11, 2014 between 9 AM and 1 PM at Twin Cities metro area Allina clinics and hospitals. Exact addresses of locations are available on our Donate a Bike page. After October 11, bikes can be dropped off at any metro area Penn Cycle shop until December 1st. (If you can donate $20 in addition to your bike, that will virtually cover the cost for us to get your bike back in ‘good as new’ condition.)

What kind of bikes are you looking for?

Free Bikes 4 Kidz is looking for new or gently used bikes of any size (including tricycles and scooters)—child or adult. We are looking for bikes that are in good rideable condition and need minimal work in order to get them looking and running well. We are not looking for bikes that are rusted, missing wheels, bent wheels, or basically in “tough” shape. We want to give away bikes that look good and are safe and fun to ride. Plus we do not have the time or resources to fix up severely damaged bikes.

Is FB4K a 501c3 non-profit? Can I contribute financially to FB4K and help get more bikes to kids?

Yes. And yes. We are a registered non-profit so 100% of your contribution is tax deductible. (You will receive a receipt from us for all contributions.) We gladly accept contributions of any size. We spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $25 to get each bike in tip top shape, so your donation will help get more bikes to more kids. Visit our Financial Donations page where you will be able to make a donation online using your credit card. Or, if you would rather, you can send a check to our mailing address, also listed on our Contact page.

I would like to volunteer my time to help. What can I do?

We literally need thousands of volunteers to clean, repair, and help us give away 5000+ bikes each year. We love people who have mad bike repair skills, but if you don’t have that ability, we still desperately need you. If you can wash and shine a bike, we need you. If you can, pump up tires we need you. If you can change tires and lube chains and hubs, we need you. If you can help us move, load, and unload bikes, we need you.

Here’s what you do. Go to the Volunteer page and register. You can register as an individual, or you can register a whole group that you are bringing along with you. You can choose the location where you want to volunteer, the day, the time slot, and you can tell us what your skill level is. Then when you arrive on that day, we will be prepared to give you tasks that fit your skills. We generally have drinks and snacks available for our volunteers…plus we throw a huge party after the dust clears in December and ALL volunteers are invited—live music, food, dance, and fun!

How does my non-profit, community organization, church, or school get on FB4K’s radar so that we can be recipients of bikes?

You can Apply 4 Bikes online and tell us about your organization—what you do, where you are located, your history, if you are a registered non-profit, etc. We will connect you with our Bike Recipient Coordinator, who is in charge of coordinating and facilitating this process.

I don’t live in Minnesota, but would like to start a Free Bikes 4 Kidz chapter in my city. Can you help me do that?

Great question. Yes…and no. We get asked this question all the time, and we are getting very close to making that a reality. Please stay in touch with Terry Esau (terry@FB4K.com) our Executive Director because we hope to launch FB4K nationally soon.

I run a bike shop here in town. I love that you are getting more kids on bikes, but I’m concerned that FB4K is tapping into my business, just a bit.

First off, we at FB4K are huge fans of our local bike shops and we do all we can to promote you. We believe we are NOT stepping on your business stream at all because we only give bikes to those most in need. We believe we are creating future buyers for your shops. FYI, many local bike shops are already partnering with us—collecting bikes, having their mechanics repair them in their down time, and delivering them back to us to give away. We believe that if we could get all the bike shops in town working together on this, we would be creating an even more bike-friendly, bike-crazed community and would ensure future growth in the cycling industry.

I work in the media and would like to help tell your story. Who should I contact?

Terry Esau (terry@FB4K.com) is our Executive Director and he would be happy to talk with you or connect you with others in the organization. We believe we have a great success story that has only just begun. Thanks for helping us spread the… “Good Wheel to All, and to All a Good Bike!”